The IT Crowd: Yesterday’s Jam

January 9th, 2008

Season 1, Episode 1

The It Crowd: Yesterday's Jam

The first episode of The IT Crowd had me hooked from the start, with the pixel art, computer-blippy theme song, and the introduction of Jen, the IT manager (who knows nothing about computers) on first day of work at Reynholm industries, where beautiful people do absolutely nothing. Jen faces off with Denholm Reynholm, a very odd boss, and slowly comes to the realization that she’ll be stuck in a basement managing two socially challenged nerd’s nerds.

Meet Roy, who’s answer to everything is “have you tried turning it on and off again?” while wearing a RTFM t-shirt, and Moss, who is a bit less socially oblivious and catches Jen with her appliances unplugged.

There’s a balancing act of cynical humor (such as Denholm laying off an entire floor), gross parts (a gratuitous bathroom shot and a prostitute anecdote), and cheesy feel good moments (the A-Team!). But the bottom line is the IT guys just want to be liked - and can’t be to save their lives. Jokes abound, even over (and after) the credits.

Next Episode: Calamity Jen

2 comments!

  1. comment Gravatar Dave - January 9th, 2008

    You turned me onto this show and surprisingly it’s one of the few comedies that Pam and I watch together (she dislikes other shows like The Office, but for some reason she enjoys this one).

    The first few episodes were amusing, but erratic. I found the series really picks up in the second half of season 1 and goes into overdrive in season 2. I still need to catch the last couple of episodes of season 2, but this one is definitely a keeper. The west-end musical and the dinner party episodes are sheer comic gold. And I still crack up everytime I see an anti-piracy ad before a movie (thinking back to the classic, over-the-top send up the IT Crowd does on these PSAs).

    Still, the opening scene to the first episode is awesome as Jen awkwardly tries to list out her computer/technology credentials and is forced to scrape the bottom of the barrel (experience with mouse, mice, mices…lol).

  2. comment Gravatar webomatica - January 9th, 2008

    As I rewatch these, there are definitely some classic moments in the first season. I think my favorite episodes are 50 50. But yeah - that first episode of season 2 had me laughing out loud multiple times.

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